Listens for the Road - Your Chicago Bus Trip Playlist
A Bus.com Playlist

There’s nothing better than a road tripping to a destination that boasts good music, yummy food, and great weather conditions… wait, did we just describe Chicago? Sure did. The Windy City is known for its amazing cuisine, iconic architecture, and jaw-dropping shopping, but let’s not forget about its musical legacies.

Kanye West, Fallout Boy, and Earth Wind & Fire, are just a few of the many top ranked artists that grew up and built their brands in Chicago. We’ve created the perfect playlist for your bus trip to Chicago, ranging from Chicago’s local and upcoming artists, to big names that went platinum. Listen to this playlist while you’re riding your Chicago charter bus rental, and chill out while traveling or touring the sites. Who knows, you may even run into one of these artists!

Here’s our playlist. Be sure to read about the artists below!

Andrew Bird

Born in Illinois, Andrew Bird, an American Violinist, started training at the age of four. He was originally in a band called Bowl of Fire before developing his career as a solo artist. In 2002, Bird was asked to open for a band in his hometown of Chicago, but his fellow members were unavailable for the date. He performed the gig alone, and the surprising success of this solo show suggested potential new directions for his music.

The Heard

Boogie down to this beat! This funk-based band dropped their main album in 2015 and have been gaining traction ever since. In The Heard’s hometown of Chicago, the group has been performing at some of the city’s favourite venues – AliveOne, Metro Chicago, Lincoln Hall, Concord Music Hall, and Congress Theater.

Steve Grand

This talented artist was actually a model on the cover of DNA before his music career took off, so there’s a good chance you first heard of Steve Grand in 2013 when he released the music video for his song, All-American Boy. The music video became an overnight hit and he received media attention by outlets like the Advocate, Chicago Tribune, and Billboard. One of the highlights of Steve Grand’s debut album was the LGBT equality anthem he wrote, called We Are The Night.

Tiny Fireflies

Tiny Fireflies began as a fun collaboration with no intentions of becoming a band. The duo, Kristine and Lisle, played their first show at New York City Popfest, and since then, their layered indie-pop songs have become favourites in the Western Hemisphere.

Yoko’s and the Oh no’s

They might not be John Lennon, but have a listen to this group and soon you’ll be saying “Yoko and the Oh yes’s”. This trio of young Chicagoans is a blend of garage sounds and vintage soul, creating retro rock. Max, one of the band members, recorded and produced their record in his childhood basement at the age of 16. From then on, the band’s energetic live shows and well-crafted record led to a deal with Autumn Tone Records, which reissued their debut in 2015.

Patricia Barber

With good music, bus trips are easy to love – just like Patricia’s music.

This American jazz and blues singer, now 62 years of age, continuously plays gigs, releases music, and lives a life fuelled by music and art to its fullest. Catch her playing at her favourite spot, The Green Mill in Chicago, before she heads off to Paris.

Interested in seeing her live? Checkout her next gigs: http://www.patriciabarber.com/gigs

Ric Wilson

Ric Wilson is a hip-hop treasure that just release his 2018 EP called BANBA. Not only is Ric an amazing artist, but he is also a part of the We Charge Genocide Coalition. This group presented a shadow report and testified at the United Nations, charging the Chicago Police Department with genocide and torture actions on ethnic youth within the city of Chicago, helping establish a worldwide connection. Today, Ric continues to travel to the city of Chicago, performing and speaking on social issues.

Kanye West

C’mon, we had to include him…

We thought we’d throw in a local Chicago artist who is now selling albums off the charts. Kanye now has a total of 21 Grammy Awards and has been spoken about in almost every magazine, newspaper, and site you can think of. His song Runaway was praised by critics for its sincere subject matter, the openness of the song, and the clean, soulful production.

Kanye
Taylor Bennett

This 22 year old rapper grew up with a passion for music. His brother Chance the Rapper, is one of the most known and respected rappers of the 21st century. He wanted Taylor to grow as an independent rapper and build his own fan base before he began working with and promoting him. After several years of dedication and hard work, the two brothers are now working together now to create amazing content. Bennett has had an active role in his community, putting all the proceeds of a sold out show towards Kids Off The Block, a local nonprofit aimed towards ending violent crime in Chicago.

Joey Purp

Joey Davis, known for his stage name as Joey Purp, is an American Rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, Joey bounced between Chicago neighbourhoods, building his rep and brand. Early on, he associated himself with top artists like Chance the Rapper, and began selling out live shows shortly after prematurely ending his high-school career. In order to pursue performing full-time, Joey used social media to his advantage, gaining more than 30,000 followers on SoundCloud.

Shirley Johnson

Shirley is the embodiment of the blues. Her music is soulful and smooth, her lyrics warm and affectionate. She originally started out singing Gospel music, then switched to R&B after 8 years, creating a strong vocal base and merging it with urban style. The staff at one or her favourite clubs in Chicago nicknamed her the Sweetheart of the Blues.

What better way to share your love of music than by jamming to these tracks with all your friends aboard a Chicago charter bus rental. Whether you’re heading there for the live music or the architectural sites, our playlist on Spotify featuring successful Chicago artists is perfect for the long ride to the Windy City. It’s yours to download and play away!

Need help planning your road trip to Chicago? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Bus Rentals.

A Bus.com Playlist

 

There’s nothing better than a road trip with good music, yummy food, and great weather conditions… meaning the windy city. Chicago is known for its amazing cuisine, iconic architecture, and jaw-dropping shopping, but let’s not forget about its musical legacy.

Kanye West, Fallout Boy, and Earth Wind & Fire, are just a few of the many top ranked artists that grew up and built their brands in Chicago. We’ve created a playlist for your bus trip, ranging from Chicago’s local and upcoming artists, to the big names that went platinum. Listen to this playlist while you’re riding your Chicago charter bus rental or shuttle services while traveling or touring the sites. Who knows, you may even run into one of these artists!

Here’s our playlist, be sure to read about the artists below!

Andrew Bird

Born in Illinois, Andrew Bird, an American Violinist, started training at the age of four. He was originally in a band called Bowl of Fire before developing his career as a solo artist. In 2002, Bird was asked to open for a band in his hometown of Chicago, but his fellow members were unavailable for the date. He performed the gig alone, and the surprising success of this solo show suggested potential new directions for his music.

The Heard

Boogies down to this beat! This funk-based band dropped their main album in 2015 and have been receiving a lot of traction ever since. In The Heard’s hometown of Chicago, the group has been performing at some of the city’s favorite venues – AliveOne, Metro Chicago, Lincoln Hall, Concord Music Hall, and Congress Theater.

Steve Grand

This talented artist was actually a model on the cover of DNA before his music career took off, and there’s a good chance you first heard of Steve Grand in 2013 when he released the music video for his song All-American Boy. The music video became an overnight hit and he received media attention by outlets like the Advocate, Chicago Tribune, and Billboard. One of the highlights of Steve Grand’s debut album was the LGBT equality anthem he wrote called, We Are The Night.

Tiny Fireflies

Tiny Fireflies began as a fun collaboration with no intentions of becoming a band. The duo, Kristine and Lisle, played their first show at New York City Popfest, and from then, they’re layered Indie-Pop songs have become favourites in the Western Hemisphere.

Yoko’s and the Oh no’s

They might not be John Lennon, but have a listen to this group and soon you’ll be saying “Yoko and the Oh yes’s”. This trio of young Chicagoans is a blend of garage sounds and vintage soul, creating retro rock. One of the band members Max, at the age of 16, recorded and produced their record in his childhood basement. From then on, the band’s energetic live shows and well-crafted record led to a deal with Autumn Tone Records, which reissued their debut in 2015.

Patricia Barber

With good music, bus trips are just like what Patricia sings ; easy to love.
This American jazz and blues singer, now 62 years of age, is continuously playing gigs, releasing music, and living a life fueled by music and art to its fullest. Catch her playing at her favourite spot The Green Mill, in Chicago, before she heads off to Paris. Interested in seeing her live? Checkout her next gigs. http://www.patriciabarber.com/gigs

Ric Wilson

Ric Wilson is a hip-hop treasure that just release his 2018 EP called BANBA. Not only is Ric an amazing artist, but he is also a part of the We Charge Genocide Coalition. A group that presented a shadow report and testified at the United Nations, charging the Chicago Police Department with genocide and torture actions on Black and brown youth within the city of Chicago helping to create a worldwide connection. Today, Ric continues to travel the city of Chicago and the country performing and speaking on social issues.

Kanye West

Common, we had to include him… We thought we’d throw in a local Chicago artist who is now selling albums off the charts. Kanye now has a total of 21 Grammy Awards and has been spoken about in almost every magazine, newspaper, and article site you can think of. His song Runaway was praised by critics the for its sincere subject matter, the openness of the song, and the soulful clean production.

Taylor Bennett

This 22 year old rapper, grew up with a passion for music. His brother Chance the Rapper, is one of the most known and respected rappers in the 21st century. He wanted Taylor to grow as an independent rapper and build his own fan base before he began working with and promoting him. After several years of dedication and hard work, the two brothers are now working together now to create amazing content. Bennett has had an active role in his community, putting all the proceeds of a sold out show towards Kids Off The Block, a local nonprofit aimed towards ending violent crime in Chicago.

Joey Purp

Joey Davis, known for his stage name as Joey Purp, is an American Rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, Joey bounced between Chicago neighborhoods, building his rep and brand. Early on, he started meeting top artists like Chance the Rapper, and started selling out live shows shortly after prematurely ending his high-school career. In order to make this his career, Joey used used social media to his advantage, gaining more than 30,000 followers on SoundCloud.

Shirley Johnson

Shirley is the embodiment of the blues. Her music is soulful and smooth, her lyrics are warm, and affectionate. She originally started singing Gospel music, then switched to R&B after 8 years, creating a strong vocal base and bringing it to an urban style. The staff at one or her favourite clubs in Chicago nicknamed her the Sweethearts of the Blues.

What better way to share your love for music than by jamming to these tracks with all your friends aboard a Chicago charter bus rental. Whether you’re heading there for the live-music or the architectural sites, our playlist on Spotify featuring successful Chicago artists is perfect for the long ride to the windy city. It’s yours to download it and play away!